Vote for Sarah Brown!!

I love this post! A local friend of mine (Sarah Brown) has been chosen as a finalist for the Martha Stewart American Made contest! WOW!! What an amazing accomplishment!

Sarah creates unique and adorable stuffed animals! These one of a kind critters are made from up-cycled sweaters. I personally LOVE giving new life to something that was going to be tossed. Her attention to detail gives such personality to these cute pals!

Check these guys out!

See what I mean?? We're talking major cuteness here :-) Who knew old sweaters could be so cute!

Look at this adorable face....

You can read more about the contest and vote for Sarah (up to 6 times per day) here: HERE!

Also, be sure to check out her shop on Etsy HERE!

Goaties!

I'm a Goat "Mama"!! We have 2 female goats. They are loveable and sweet! They are Nigerian Dwarf/Mini Alpine mixes and are bred that way to be a little smaller/easier to handle. My husband originally wanted to get goats to clean up our property. Our house sits in the woods and is very thick with brush in some areas. His little plan worked and the goats ate their entire fenced area clean last summer!

It has been a learning experience with having the goats. After all, they are farm animals. This involves cleaning out their pen (which isn't the most awesome thing I've ever done), hoof trimming, giving them medicated feed when they had a stomach bug, etc. It was kind of a crazy start with the Goaties, but eventually we got things figured out. We ended up getting 2 male Pygmies with hopes that the females would kid sometime in the spring. They did! It was quite obvious that they were expecting as their due dates neared. Because we have a large shed for the goats (not a big barn), we ended up finding a good home for the Males. Things were about to get crowded in there! Especially since many goats often have twins!

Labor day came for our Goat Girl "Neapolitan". After an extremely LONG and FRIGID winter in the North East, hubby decided to do the dreaded job of cleaning out the goat pen. We had a brief warm up and Neapolitan was showing signs of labor. She was losing mucus and her udders looked very full! He built a make shift "birthing pen" out of scrap wood and laid down some fresh hay. She went in there and laid down immediately. We gave her privacy to birth. It was tempting to want to step in and watch, but there was no need to assist. I gave a quick check every half hour or so and eventually saw her new baby! I dried the kid off with some towels and the 'lil one seemed to be doing fine! It was a girl! I encouraged her to latch on and nurse throughout the next 2-3 days as often as I could until she got the hang of things. Just like human babies, they need that first milk or colostrum.

About 24 hrs after the birth, I checked Mama Goat's udders and they were VERY full! "Uh oh", I thought. "I need to milk her"! Ummm, I've never milked an animal... EVER! After doing some research, I found several helpful milking videos on good 'ole YouTube and gave it a try. Not too bad for the first time, and Mama had to be so relieved! She was very tight and full! I ended up freezing the milk for soap. We drink the milk, as well... but it sure does make a lovely batch of soap!

Mama and Baby were doing fine, and about 3 weeks later, Goat Mama "Biscotti" started showing signs of labor. She ended up kidding within a few hours of being in the birthing pen and we watched the whole process basically repeat itself! She also ended up having a girl and gave birth easily.

Here are a few pics of the "Kids"!

Neapolitan's Kid just after birth....

Mama Goat Neapolitan and her Kid....

What a sweetie!

Biscotti's Kid just after birth.....

The sweetest Baby Goat with stunning Blue Eyes!

...and a little fresh milk for us, too!

Gluten Free Fruit Cobbler

I've been Gluten Free for a year now and overall, I definitely feel better!! I may have been accidentally glutened a time or two (and definitely felt it!) but it's been good. I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (Autoimmune Thyroid Diesease) and sometimes Autoimmune diseases like company. I definitely have many symptoms of being wheat sensitive. I get hives, achy joints and digestive weirdness when I eat wheat. Unfortunately, wheat is in just about everything!

Our local town restaurant, The Dutch Village has a full Gluten Free menu, which has been awesome! They have everything from Pancakes, to bread for sandwiches and toast, to Pizza!! The owner has Ceilac Disease, so she knows how difficult it can be to eat out. She recently had a gluten free seminar and buffet. It was a HUGE success! People came from all over and the dining room was packed. A dietician spoke about why people are wheat sensitive or gluten intolerant and gave tips on what to eat.

Learning to make substitutes that taste "similar" to the real thing can be difficult!

For the Gluten free dinner, one of the desserts was Fruit Cobbler using Gluten Free Bisquick. I must say, I'm impressed with this product. It's a basic GF baking mix that can be used to make pancakes/waffles, biscuits, cobbler... it even has a Pizza Crust recipe right on the box!!

Hope you enjoy this tasty Fruit Cobbler recipe!



Fill a 9x9 baking pan about 1/2 full with Fresh or Frozen Fruit (I used Peaches, Blueberries and Strawberries that the kids and I picked over the summer months)
Drizzle fruit with 2 Tbsp. of honey.

Topping:
1 1/2 Cups GF Bisquick
1 Cup Milk
1 Egg

Mix topping ingredients and pour over fruit mixture.

Bake at 350 for about 30-40 min. Until top is golden and middle is completely set.

Top warm cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream (we used Organic Vanilla Yogurt)

Devour!!

Soaping....the most addictive hobby EVER!

HELP, I can't stop making soap! :-) Seriously, I love doing this. Maybe it's because I was a chef in my younger days (before being a MOM). The "whole" mixing, measuring, stirring, swirling, creating fragrance/color combinations. This is the prefect creative outlet for me!

Who know that mixing oils and lye could make a bubbly creation that makes me want to shower and wash my hands constantly. Ok, Ok... I'm getting out of control here!

Here's a 4 lb. batch of Honey Almond Goat Milk Soap (topped with Calendula flower) that I had the pleasure of making recently...(we're into raising goats, so it just makes sense to make Goat Milk Soap!)

Un-molded soap, turned out GREAT!

Freshly cut and ready to cure. It will be ready to nourish your skin in 4 weeks!

"Edible" Gluten Free PIZZA

Yes, you read the title right. "Edible" Gluten Free Pizza! Most GF Pizza Crust is downright awful! I've been Gluten Free for close to a year now, and giving up Pizza has been tough! My family enjoys Pizza about once a month, so it was a MUST for me to somehow find a crust recipe that was good and edible. I was recommended to try Bob's Red Mill Bread mixes (so I could occasionally enjoy some toast or a sandwich) and found Bob's Red Mill "Wonderful White" to be a tasty treat! My family loved it and gobbled it up as fast as I could bake it! I tweaked the recipe (on the package) to make this awesome Pizza Crust. It's the best pizza crust I've tried to date. Hope you enjoy it!!

1 pkg. Bob's Red Mill "Wonderful White" Gluten Free Bread Mix, (it comes with a yeast packet....dissolve the yeast in 1-1/2 cups warm milk of your choice)

Add to a mixer bowl (using the paddle attachment)
-Bread mix
-Milk/Yeast mixture
- 3 whole eggs
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 Tbsp. Apple Cider Vinegar

Mix on low speed until blended. Let the mixture sit and rest for 20 min. Gently mix again for about 30 seconds. Scoop dough onto greased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Press flat with oiled hands. Top with sauce, cheese and your fave. toppings. Bake on the bottom rack at 400 degrees until bottom crust is brown and top is bubbly (about 20-25 min.)

Canning Summer Peaches!

I'm not going to lie...Peaches are a LOT of work to can and freeze! They are really fuzzy, so they take extra time to be properly washed, blanched and peeled. The pits need to be removed. They get over-ripe very quickly. But, during the winter months (when it's a blizzard outside) it's such a joy to crack open a jar of those fresh summer peaches! Both canning and freezing Peaches really helps to preserve that fresh summer taste.

First, start by separating the Peaches. We went to a local Pick Your Own, and some were more ripe than others. These are Red Havens. They taste very much like Peach Schnapps! and pull away from the pit easily.

Give them a bath in your sink!!

After you've washed off the fuzz, blanch them in hot (not boiling) water for about a minute or so. Transfer them to cold water or an ice bath. The skins should peel off easily.

Peel the Peaches and remove pits. (I sometimes give the scraps to the chickens!) OR you can make a yummy treat called "Peach Honey", which is great drizzled on Biscuits, Toast or Oatmeal. You can find the peach honey recipe HERE

I decided to flash freeze a few trays.

Gently pack Peaches into hot, sterile jars. Top with a basic simple syrup. How much sugar you use is personal preference. I only use 1 cup of sugar to every 12-14 cups of water. I keep the sugar mixture over low heat on the stove while I'm peeling, etc.

Wipe jar rims clean with a damp cloth. Top each jar with a clean lid and ring.

Gently lower jars into the boiling water canner.

Process for 25-30 min.

Carefully remove hot jars with a jar lifter. Allow to cool for 24 hrs. Rinse jars after cooling (they will be a little sticky). It's normal for fruit to float when Raw packed....

Store them in a cool, dark place and enjoy them when it's February and snowing outside ;-)

Easy Dill Pickles

Dill Pickles are super easy and tasty. First start with garden cukes! Give them a bath in the sink, scrub/wash them up, cut off the ends and slice them into spears.

Wash jars in hot, soapy water and sterilize in a water bath. I place them in a 215 degree oven for about 15-20 min. (or you can run them through a cycle in your dishwasher). Boil lids and rings.

Pack cucumber spears into hot, sterile jars.

Top cucumber spears with hot brine. I use approx. 5 cups of white vinegar to 12 cups of water. I ended up making 9 pints and 3 quarts of pickles and still had some leftover. I added a little salt, turmeric, 1 Tbsp. Alum (helps to keep them crisp), a fresh dill sprig in the middle of each jar. You can add hot chili peppers or garlic to make them spicy.

Wipe the jar rims clean with a damp cloth or paper towel.

Top each jar with a clean lid and ring.

Here's the trick for keeping the pickles crisp! Make sure the water in the canner doesn't go above 185. I kept the water at about 180...hot enough to kill bacteria, but not boiling. It will soften the pectin in the cucumbers and make the pickles mushy. I temped the water every 5-10 min. with a candy thermometer. Process for 30 min.

Remove hot jars with a jar lifter and allow them to cool for 24 hrs. Pickles are ready to eat in about 24 hrs., but taste best in about 2 weeks.

Enjoy!

Canned Plums!

My grandmother used to make canned plums. YUM! They were amazing. It's one of those things that I probably can't duplicate exactly, but I have to try. Canning is one of my favorite summer hobbies, so I found a local farm that has a plentiful plum supply and I couldn't resist. She normally canned purple plums, but they all taste about the same. I ended up getting the yellow variety.

Before I start any canning project, I fill the canner with hot water and get it on the stove. (Fill the canner about 1/2 full for 6-7 quarts) This way, you're water will be boiling when your jars are filled.

Wash the plums, remove the stems and trim any brown spots. I had a helper for this part!

These plums are beautiful!!

Get your jars, lids and rings ready. Wash jars in hot, soapy water (or run through a cycle in the dishwasher). Boil the lids and rings.

I place the clean jars in a water bath and let them sterilize in the oven. I set the temp at about 210-215 (212 is boiling). I leave them in for about 15-20 min.

Next, pack the sterilized jars with the clean plums. I pack them in pretty tight...

Top the plums with a basic simple syrup. How much sugar you add is totally personal preference. I used 8-9 cups of water and added about 2 1/2 cups of sugar. Give it a whisk and leave the heat on low, this way the syrup will be hot when poured over the plums.

Wipe the jar rims with a damp paper towel. This will ensure a nice, clean seal!

Top each jar with a clean lid and tighten the rings (tight, but not too tight)

Carefully place jars on the canning rack. These are ready to be dropped into the boiling water. Most standard canners will fit 7 quart jars.

Gently lower the jars into the boiling water... Make sure that they are covered completely. Process for 20 min.

Carefully remove the hot jars using a jar lifter. I place them on a towel and let them rest for 24 hrs. The lids will naturally seal. You can then rinse the jars the next day, once they are completely cooled (they might be a little sticky).  If they sit for a few months, they get even sweeter.

Can't wait to enjoy this tasty treat!

Make your own Maple Syrup!!

While driving down the road in our rural community, sap buckets line the maple trees. Maple season usually starts in mid. Feb. and runs through early April, weather depending. The extra cold and wintry March weather made for a late (and kind of slow) maple season this year. We tapped about 15 trees, got 5-10 gallons of sap per day (depending on daytime and nighttime temps, which should be 20's at night and 45 degrees during the day) and  have about 2 gallons of fresh maple syrup from our own trees. Just for the record, it takes about 35-40 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup, which makes it a very special treat!

  Making your own syrup is quite easy. This was our first year and we found it to be fun and rewarding experience. We borrowed sap buckets and taps from our old neighbors (they had a ton of extras on hand). Steve did some research on how to tap the trees and we had a nice family walk in the woods on that mid-March day.

How exciting to see that our project actually worked and the buckets started filling with sap!!

Next year, we agreed that a small evaporator might be a nice investment for us. But, for now...a few large stock pots will work just fine for reducing the sap. *Strain the sap through a cheesecloth before reducing!!* 
I have a canning room and an extra stove/oven in my basement (which I love and use more than I thought I would). It came in very handy for this project! You can notice that the sap is starting to take on a light "amber" color.

Finally, after a few hours, it's finally starting to look like syrup!! A candy thermometer is a must!

The syrup is starting to thicken and foam. Definitely DO NOT walk away from it when it reaches this stage. It can scorch very quickly and easily.  Finishing temp should be about 7 degrees above boiling (Boiling is 212, so I did mine to about 220 degrees)

Strain the finished syrup for a 2nd time through a cheesecloth and into clean mason jars. Add lids and rings (I didn't even bother with processing, as the syrup is so hot at this point and the lids will seal on their own as they cool). Now, make some pancakes with real butter and enjoy!